LG Manoj Sinha, CM Omar Abdullah receive him at airport; aerial survey of flood-hit areas likely, including Katra
Diplomat Correspondent
Jammu, DD, Union Home Minister Amit Shah arrived in Jammu on Sunday evening to assess the situation in the aftermath of heavy rain and flash floods in Jammu and Kashmir.
According to officials, Shah landed at Jammu Airport, where he was received by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, among others, before heading to Raj Bhawan.
On Monday, Shah is scheduled to chair a high-level meeting at Raj Bhawan to review ongoing relief measures. He is also likely to conduct an aerial survey of the flood-hit areas, including Katra, where 34 pilgrims died and 20 others were injured after a landslide struck the old route to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine on August 26, as well as the cloudburst-hit Chisoti village in Kishtwar.
Earlier, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said that Shah’s visit was focused exclusively on assessing the damage caused by cloudbursts and record rainfall earlier this week.
“The Home Minister is solely coming here to assess the situation in the aftermath of the heavy rains and flash floods and to review our requirements from the Centre to cope with the crisis. He has no other purpose, and he is not coming for a security or development review,” Abdullah clarified.(DD)